pete

We get zero realtor referrals and if a Realtor calls us we politely ask them to have the client call us directly. We get all of our business either through attorneys, education seminars, non-profit housing advocacy, online advertising and alot through ASHI. We seem to get great leads from ASHI, I do not have the numbers in front of me but we probably do 4-6 inspections some months through the ASHI site. ASHI pays for itself usually within one week of paying the dues. The number of leads seems to have atleast doubled in the last year. We dropped NAHI and NACHI, NAHI produced maybe 2 leads in 2 years. Nachi produced nothing but price shoppers and we got sick of their hype. I know alot of guys were upset about the whole ASHI branding thing but in the northeast most educated (not necessarily formal education but people who just have a clue) buyers seem to mention ASHI at some point. Pete

Around here they are usually run into the soffitts. I believe that this is due to a lack of education "we always do it that way). I insist on them being thru an exterior wall with a cap hood. It does not cost me anything and if it cost $50, who cares. There is no downside to venting them to the exterior, in my opinion this is a no brainer. Pete

The builder is a goof, spray foam is cheap and easy to use, even fun.. When we are building I either do it myself or stay on top of the insulation contractor to get it done. As a builder and an inspector I am dismayed at the quality of homes in the local speculative market. NY does not require licensing for builders, there is a bill in the legislature but unfortunately the NYSBA is fighting it. I think it would be a good thing. Pete

Chad thanks--I just spoke to him and he is going to call me later. Thanks Pete

Does anybody have an email or phone for George Moomaw? or can you answer the following? I found a site that showed how to do the "j" calc I did it for a 4k sq ft home that I am building in Orange County, NY and the btu requirements totalled about 105k btu. My questions are: does this sound like the right ballpark (I am used to seeing much larger units or this size unit in houses 1/2 the size)? the formula did not ask about domestic hot water, we are going to have 2 50 gallon indirect water heaters, how many btu's do I add for this? Thanks Pete

Does anyone know if the plywood clips are required in NY state? I never see them on residential nor are they on the sets of plans that I have seen. Pete

I have never heard of testing tile--what are you testing for?? Pete

NY state did not have any law previoulsy although a few counties had their own. I must admit that we are not that worried since we meet the requirements. I do feel badly for the people that are close and have invested in real tools and a legit education and background. But I am also glad there will some elimination fo the hacks with a clipboard and a flashlight that are out there ripping people off with impunity. I wish the law had more consumer protection like MA but it is better than nothing. As for the mentoring many professions require it (plumbing, real estate agent, doctors) but training the competition does seem weird. I think Chris Prickett posted a reasonable fee schedule for training someone. I think if the trainee paid for the 75 accompanied and then was paid by the trainer for the 250 "supervised" that would be fair to all parties. For example Trainee pays $100 per inspection for the 75 and then they go out on their own and I pay them $150 per inspection, maybe a little more if they get referrals or similar type incentives. I has to be put in place, there will never be a law that is favorable to inspectors an dthe public each side has to give a little.. Pete

I have heard that the NY legislature passed a bill for a Licensing law in NY. I gave it a quick read and it seems that grandfathering will require 3 years (counting from 1 year after the governor signs the bill into law) AND 350 inspections. Does anybody have any other details or info? My guess is that this will cut down on competition. Has it done so in other states? Have you guys who made grandfathering requirements seen a big financial benefit? I did not look too closely at the requirements for people starting out but it looks like 96 hours of class, testing, 75 accompanied inspections and then 250 "supervised". How has this affected people in other states?

Don't people pay 30K or more to buy a franchise that then takes a percentage for life?? WHy not buy our little biz that grosses 45k? You pay us 65k and then you have everything a franchise offers you--a report, an identity a working business plan (that you can change), marketing experience past clients, tools, and most importantly something that a franchise can not give you a ringing phone. I totally agree that it is not hard if you have the time and money to start from scrathc you should not buy an existing business. But if you can not afford to have no income for 2 years than buy an existing business. I see the franchise decision as the same. If you have no business or marketing skills buy a franchise they will tell you exactly what to do. We are in the process of selling our business. We grew beyond our resources, we tried hiring a few different inspectors and were not happy, we had to make the decision to either sell or really push more reources to the business and we opted for selling. We are currently working with a business broker. I recommend that anyone looking to sell a business meet with a professional biz broker. Pete

I am building myself a new home in the Hudson Valley of NY. The basement level will be the garage and storage, gym, future finished space. I have heard of putting insulation under the slabs? WHat kind should I use? How does it keep from getting crushed to pieces if it is rigid foam? In the garage I am planning to put radiant--should I do anything different to insualte that? Any ideas/details are welcome? Pete

Why can't you use Water-resistant gypsum backing board over a vapor retarder in a shower? What about if it is a steam shower? Pete

I just sold my 4 year old house and the people never mentioned an inspection. I was really disappointed. I had added GFCI's in the kitchen and was interested to see if the inspector would catch a couple of the changes I had made. Oh well. Pete

Even if there is no attic, a 1" air space is currently required between insulation and roof sheathing. Without destructive investigation, you cannot know what the current air space is between the insulation and sheathing. My experience is that a 40 year old house roof was not adequately ventilated when built and there are likely to be concealed problems such as rot, mildew, and/or mold. You asked what are the ventilation requirements, not what were they when the house was built. I would not refer to current code requirements, just good construction practice and potential problems caused by inadequate ventilation. Just CYA and write about the possible concealed problems that may not be discovered within the scope of your inspection. Is there any possibility that it is one of the blown in insulations that do not require venting? Pete

I am going to guess 30-45%. I think it would be a great idea. Perhaps ASHI would market to realtors but not individual inspectors. I think this might remove the actual and the perceived conflict. Pete

We have definitely seen an uptick in traffic from ASHI. I do not have the exact numbers in front of me but we cover the dues and branding almost every inspection we do, so for us branding is a success so far. Pete

Brian--that was a good site--Thanks.. What HVAC websites were you referring to? Pete

I am getting read to build a house for myself and I am trying to learn more about them. I have seen them on TV but can not seem to find alot of info. Are they as good as advertised? I am trying to hold to energey efficient standards so using the mini ducts might make it easier to keep them all on inside walls. Pete

Does anybody have any experience with the mini-duct AC systems? Know of any good info out on the web? I tried google but did not find anything informative.. Pete

I have a cousin who is in contract for a house in NJ. He recently showed me elevations and they showed Stucco. I told him the little I know about EIFS and recommended that he consult an eifs inspector and consider having it inspected (during construction and at the completion). He contacted the builder and below is what they had to say. Do any of you guys know about this stuff? Your thoughts are appreciated. Pete "Thanks Peter. I spoke with the head builder at Pulte Totowa after our talk and he was keenly aware of the problem and said that they do not use EIFS. They use "California Stucco" and have had no problems and have been using the stuff for like 6-8 years."

When we run into a large number of layers we tell people the true count and then inform them that the starter course is commonly doubled. If there are more than two layers (4 shingles) we recommend removal prior to adding a new roof or getting an engineer/architect to give it the ok. This particular house was probably built in the 1940's. I think the most shingles I have ever seen was 9. I have seen alot of these where I am sure you are right Dennis, the nails do not reach anything but the shingles below. It seems that roofers do not want to do the removal. I am surprised, I figured they would charge alot. It is very easy work, any laborer can do it. Hmmm maybe we should do inspections and roof removals

I had a client who was considering a home that had 7 layers of roofing and it was leaking. I advised him to have a professional roofer estimate cost of repair keeping in mind that the sheathing was probably bad and there could be rafter damage. There was no attic access but the wavy, spongy roof corresponded to a large amount of water damage inside. In a phone converstaion a roofer told him he does not rip off old roofs because that involves asbestos remediation. I have neevr heard of this before. Is there an asbestos problem in old asphalt shingles? Or is this roofer just trying to avoid hard work? Keep in mind he made this claim without seeing the products in question.. Download Attachment: 41204 008.jpg 320.89 KB

As I was explaining th epitch problem to the client and the realtor was making faces I spotted the install papers nearby. I said to the client I bet somewehre in the first 5 pages it says something about why this is wrong. Page 2 said that it was all wrong and could lead to explosion or death from exauhst gases entering the home. I think that stuff about no draft hood (from Joe L) is recommending using direct vent type of appliances that draw outside air for combustion and then vent directly out. That is definitely what I am putting in my own house. Now I have to convince the Town that I am insulating and drywalling the attic to make it conditioned but not to make it living space (big diff on taxes). Thanks for the input, Pete

Is it ok to remove the draft hood when adding a barometric damper? I called this setup out based on the backpitch; but I was unsure about the draft hood issue. We see this in older homes mostly, most plumbers do not seem to consider that newer water heaters seem to be taller. Pete Download Attachment: 41204 020.jpg 282.14 KB

Richard you seem surprised to find out that a new home builder still uses cast iron for waste lines. I can understand your surprise. Most new home builders in this area are still using cast iron (no hub) for undergrounds and below slab applications and pvc above that. We however continue to use cast iron for all waste lines and pvc for venting only. The cast iron is much more effective at containing the sound of rushing water. However we may be forced to give in to the price pressure for our next project. PVC is the plumbers preference so they really push with their prices. Pete